France’s first family of far right answers Trump call

Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the youngest scion of France’s far-right dynasty, said Saturday she had agreed to collaborate with former Donald Trump campaign chief and Breitbart editor Steve Bannon — without clarifying on what terms.

Marion, the niece of National Front president Marine Le Pen, is a favorite of Bannon’s “alt-right” news site. Breitbart has dubbed the 26-year-old MP a political “rock star,” devoting more coverage to her than most leading political figures in France.

The younger Le Pen was responding to an interview of Bannon by French news network LCI during which he said he would be happy to work with Marion, whom he described as the “new rising star”. Her message was posted first in English, then in French, with a link to the LCI article.

“We think that France is a place where we need to be, with its young entrepreneurs and the women of the Le Pen family,” said Bannon, who has also been cited as a potential pick for chief of staff to the president-elect. “Marion Marechal-Le Pen is the rising star,” he added.

Le Pen did not specify whether she was responding to a specific offer from Bannon, nor did she describe the nature of a potential collaboration. An aide to Le Pen did not respond to a request for comment.

A rapprochement between Le Pen and Bannon would not come as a total surprise, given that Breitbart has expressed an interest in expanding its operations in Europe, especially in France. But it would mark the first step toward concrete links between Trump’s entourage and the Le Pens, who have both expressed support for the president-elect and were among the first French politicians to congratulate him on his victory.

Ludovic De Danne, Marine Le Pen’s parliamentary adviser, was at Trump Tower on the night of the election, at the invitation of the Republican candidate’s entourage.

Marine Le Pen, who is slated to reach the final round of France’s next presidential election, has described Trump’s election as a sign that parties in Europe which stand up for national sovereignty are on the brink of reaching power. While her niece would probably not be eligible for any cabinet post with Le Pen, she would likely seek re-election as an MP in southern France after the vote this May, in which case Bannon’s advice could come in handy.

Tom Cullem

If the centre-right, centre-left governments in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Italy, and Sweden do not begin demonstrating to their electorates that they can and are making real efforts to limit immigration and insist on integration, and secure borders, the far right will rise across the bloc. The sense most people have is that no one is in charge, someone is just stamping YES on visas every year, and no one at the top cares about national culture. Well, the far right cares about culture and will be far less squeamish about how to stop inflows of undesirable migrants and immigrants.

EU governments have only one option: show their electorates that they can secure borders, limit immigration, and make cultural preservation a priority. Or, they can watch the far right take over and the historical pendulum swing back.

Posted on 11/13/16 | 1:52 AM CET

ricols

World progressives have pushed to far and now the silent majority is rising up.

Posted on 11/13/16 | 4:33 AM CET

King

I speak French and watch France24 on a weekly basis. What the American media don’t tell you about the far-right, especially the LePen family is that, they have the some of same economic policies of the far-left: anti-trade, pro high taxes, and heavy regulations of financial institutions. They don’t want immigration, being it from Poland, Roumania, or Algeria. Trump has at least said that he doesn’t have a problem with legal immigrants (I am one), so I will take him at his word. What Trump and the LePens seem to have a common above all is a great love for Putin. What Trump and some of his supporters don’t realize is that many Europeans love Putin because he “stands up” to America. Oh the irony.

Posted on 11/13/16 | 7:42 AM CET

Henry Hardoon

Silent majority not very silent in Portland Oregon as they march to protest the new elected US President. So democracy no longer delivers Clintons on tap to satisfy fringe groups that accuse Trump of racism and crass behavior towards women.

In case people have not been paying attention the world at war with refugees arriving in the millions in Europe due to staged wars by the West starting with 2003 invasion of Iraq. Obama and Clinton as Secretory of State approved the Libyan war with removal of Qaddafi. Syrian war sponsored by Saudi Arabia a donor to the Clinton Foundation appears to be a conflict of interest. Cold war with Russia on the US menu?

So the US middle classes no longer see the US Democratic Party as the answer. How about something completely different like Trumps flying circus. Europe may also try a walk on the wild-side but power-grabs seldom works in practice. Meet the new boss…same as the old boss?

France will never vote for a Le Pen dictatorship advocating the destruction of EU unity overruling the elected Parliamentary lawmakers like Britain with BREXITERS. The US with big social problems that most Europeans do not understand; its a fragmented society. Even Trump does not know how to fix the USA because there are too many cooks in the kitchen cooking the books with too much debt.

Posted on 11/13/16 | 9:02 AM CET

M Muggeridge

King: Fair comment but disagree with your conclusion: ironic that Europeans like Putin as he stands-up to the USA today. The US Syrian policy with John Kerry US Secretary of State changing his mind every month made the situation worse as the Sunni-Saudi challenge to the Assad government has prolonged that civil war. If Russia is to be believed there are no moderate rebels supported by the USA. Europe is not pro-Putin but questions US foreign policy in the Middle East and a new scheduled cold war driven by Kiev oligarchs aided by George Soros. Oversimplification…correct me?

Posted on 11/13/16 | 9:13 AM CET

Jester Hame

“ricols

World progressives have pushed to far and now the silent majority is rising up.”

Actually in the US it was the minority. Clinton won the popular vote. Also only 50% turned out so really your silent majority in the US is approximately 25%. But go on don’t let those facts bother you.

Posted on 11/13/16 | 11:38 AM CET

Ronald Grünebaum

Let’s see.

The French may not like their rotten elites in Paris but the Le Pens are not really under-dogs. Marine lives in a castle near Paris after all.

The French do not like the Americans much, they are too vulgar and too focussed on money. Trump is very american in these respects and being too close to him may actually damage the Le Pens.

Moreover, politics in France is still much more about substance than in the USA. This is the weak spot of the FN which ultimately proposes to the French to lose 40% of their savings. Because this is what leaving the Euro means. Whether confronting Germany is an idea that will resonate with the French voter also remains to be tested.

Posted on 11/13/16 | 12:19 PM CET

Jack Anderson

Ronald Grunebaum: To say the French consider Americans as “vulgar” needs to challenged for its accuracy. What is the source of this suspect allegation? Another opinion poll saying Clinton will win? The French are not given to wild generalizations. In my dealings with the French in France the country more amused by the English mob blaming all their problems (like poor housing) on EU immigration from Eastern Europe.

The US has surprised everybody by electing a new President on the basis he is a all-star showman with no solutions to the decline of the West. That is the takeaway: China gaining ground as the new super-power which Trump knows. In France there is no time to worry about American manners. More importantly President Hollande not liked in France today.

Posted on 11/14/16 | 8:39 AM CET

Pro Europe = anti EU

@Ronald
People see their savings slowly disappear this very day. The reason? Elitist neoliberal globalist criminal Draghi with artificial low interest rates that help the big banks (increases margins on loans) and hurts small savers disproportionately (and people’s pension money is hit too). Add in the (illegal as per EU treaties) QE and that makes it even worse.

More and more people every day realize the Euro destroys their prosperity and wealth, in order to prop up the big banks that are in league with elitist politicians and the unelected EU crowd. Will it be enough for Le Pen? Remains to be seen.

But you cannot make the case that the wealth destroying Euro has been good for ordinary people anywhere, because it simply hasn’t.

Posted on 11/14/16 | 10:59 AM CET

bbbb

Pro Europe = anti EU
Low interest rates are not a problem for typical guy from “working class”, because he has not much savings. So what’s the difference for him whether interest rate would be 0% or 2%? The problem for him are high income taxes from which government pays social benefits for parasites, and that those really rich pays almost no taxes in comparison to him (because of tax heavens and low capital taxes and no/low taxes from a “fortune”)